Pasta with Chicken-Apple Sausage and Broccoli

What do you cook for someone you don't know that well? I watch my son's friend on Wednesday afternoons after school, and last night instead of going home to eat, he and his mom stayed for dinner. He has typical 6-year-old eating habits, kind of picky in his own way. I decided to make something I knew my kids would love: pasta with sweet and mild chicken sausage and broccoli. Pile on the Parmesan and it's a kid-pleaser!

It's easy, too, something that's essential when you have 1st graders wrestling in the living room. I filled my biggest pot with water and set it over high heat to come to a boil. Then I chopped up 4 links of chicken-apple sausage and heated olive oil in a big skillet. I heated quite a bit of oil because I needed the oil, which gets some flavor from the sausage, to coat my pasta. I cooked for 15 minutes or so, turning the heat up and down and stirring frequently.

When the pasta water came to a boil, I salted the water and added about 3/4 pound of penne. When the pasta had just 4 minutes left to cook, I added broccoli florets and peeled, sliced stems to the pasta and water. (I left the broccoli pieces kind of big because the friend doesn't like broccoli.) Once they were cooked I drained and tossed them in a big bowl with the sausage and oil. Added Parmesan to individual servings of pasta.

About The Author

Kim Walker

Kim Walker began writing a personal food blog in 2003 while working as a copy editor in New York City. After leaving her office job to stay home with her newborn son in 2004, her cooking style (and her life, of course) changed. She now lives in the Bay Area with her three picky eaters: one husband and two children, ages 3 and 7.

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